A rugged survivor stealthily patrols our wilds, communities and backyards. He and his kind know all the tricks- so much so that indigenous cultures across North America have portrayed him as a folk hero or even a trickster god for centuries.
This canine jack of all trades is the Coyote! Coyotes are found from Central America to Alaska and are known for their yipping call. While primarily pack hunting carnivores capable of taking down animals as large as deer, they occasionally hunt smaller creatures on their own and indulge in fruit, greens and vegetable matter. Their ingenuity and generalist diet has helped them to greatly expand their range from their ancestral home in the desert regions and plains of the Western US, despite persistent hunting pressure from farmers, trophy hunters and the USDA’s Wildlife Service Program. Not only have their flexible behavior and eating habits helped to grow their population, but their genetic plasticity and ability to hybridize with fellow members of the genus Canis. Genetically tested eastern coyotes have largely proven to be multispecies hybrids including coyote, wolf and domestic dog DNA.
As coyotes have colonized North America, their travels have brought them into stranger and stranger situations, including some animals setting up territories in urban areas. As of the writing of this article, a coyote pair, dubbed Romeo and Juliet, had recently established a home in New York City’s Central Park! In 2009, Coyotes were first documented on Long Island in Queens, having followed the LIRR or swam across the East River. Since their arrival, coyote activity on Long Island has been monitored by multiple organizations, including the Long Island Coyote Study Group and the Seatuck Environmental Association and have been documented as far east as Montauk! Considering the recent return of the American River Otter to the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, will the coyote be next?
By Jake Kommer
